Youth of a Nation
by Brian Bloomfield
Summary: Mobius is finally at peace after a long and hard war. But how do the teenagers that were children during the war react now that there free? COMPLETED
1. Tails: Part One

I Don't Want you to Hear my Soul Anymore  
  
A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic, all rights reserved to those that deserve it (You know who you are).  
  
I. Introduction  
  
Five years have passed since the end on the great war. Mobotropolis has been fully rebuilt and it grander than ever. Amy, now 17, has gone back to school, along with Tails. Amy strives to do the best she can in school, while Tails, 18, had begun to drift through school. Amy had noticed that he had begun to seem tired and worn-out. Sally and Sonic have noticed this too, and began to worry about him. They questioned him one evening, about many things.  
  
"Are you smoking pot, Tails?" Sally asked the fox bluntly, sitting at the table in Tails' apartment. Tails merely crossed his arms. "No, I'm not smoking pot, or doing Herion, or clogging my veins with any other drug." They could tell Tails didn't like them suggesting anything. Sonic shook his head. "We're just worried about you Tails, you've become distant from us." Tails interrupted Sonic. "I'm fine. I just have something else to deal with right now. I am 18, and I can take care of myself. You guys don't have to worry about me as much as you do." Tails stood up and picked up his jacket. "I am running late for a date. Excuse me." Sally and Sonic stood up and walked out. They called a elevator and got in. "You know he's dealing, Sonic. How else could he afford the apartment?" Sally said as soon as the doors closed. "Sally, let's just leave him be for now. Ir's most likely nothing." Sally nodded. "Ok, fine." They stood together in silence for a few moments. "Where is this place that you wanted to take me to?" Sonic smiled. "It's called Space. They have live performances from amateurs every night, and these guys are good. I havn't been there for a while now, and I figured you might like to go there..." Sally smiled. "Of course, lead the way, Sonic..." Sonic smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. A few seconds later they got off the elevator, and hopped a cab toward Space.  
  
Tails put on his black leather jacket and green tie-dye hat. He pulled the phone off the cradle and quickly punched a number in. He waited a few seconds, then the other end picked up. "Hey Dave." He listened for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I had some people here that wouldn't leave." He listened some more. "Ok, I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and walked over to the sofa. He reached underneath and pulled out a black briefcase. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door, locking it behind him. Outside, he flagged a cab and got in. "Where to buddie?" Tails looked at the driver and smiled. "On Kinyo Ave. there's a nightclub called Space. Take me there." The driver hit the meter button and started driving.  
  
Sonic and Sally walked into the club, stopping to take off their jackets. They walked over to a table in the corner, sat down, and began to look at the menu. "This place is packed! How did you get in?" Sally asked Sonic. "Made reservations." Sonic replied. A minute later a waiter, a black fox, walked over to them. "Welcome to Space, can I get you anything? Sonic looked at the empty stage. "Yeah, when will the music go on?" The waiter looked at his watch. "Any minute now. Would you care for something to eat or drink?" Sonic nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll have a Steak, medium well, a order of fries, and a Bud Ice." The waiter scribbled this down. "And for you miss?" Sally looked one more time at the menu. "I'll have Crab Rangoon, with Shrimp Fried Rice on the side, and a Lime Margarita." The waiter finished writing." Your food will be up in about 10 minutes." He walked back toward the kitchen. "That guy seemed nice." Sally said to Sonic, just as their drinks arrived. "...and fast." Sonic chuckled. "You should have seen when I worked at a restraunt." Sally smiled. She pulled the leaflet out from the center of the table and began looking at it. A few seconds later she gasped. "What, what is it?" Sonic asked. "Griff's on here!" Sonic smiled. "Your kidding! Let me see!" Sally handed him the list, and after looking at it for a second, put it down. The first act began to play and their food came, so neither one picked the performance list back up and flipped it over, where in bold letters at the top said: SPECIAL! ELECTED BY OUR JUDGES TO PLAY FOR THE THIRD WEEK IN A ROW, JUST SIGNED BY KING RECORDS FOR HIS DJ REMIXES "OVER THE LINE" AND "NAME OF THE GAME", MILES 'TAILS' PROWLER!  
  
"Thanks for the tip, buddie! I'm number 23, you can call anytime!" Tails waved at the taxi as it drove away. He had given the guy a nice tip for going fast, and the guy seemed happy enough about it. Tails turned around and walked up to Space. "Hold it buddy, ya on the list? What's your name?" A rough-looking gurilla stopped him at the door. Next to the door was a roped off line, where several people stood. "Tails Prowler, I'm performing." The gurilla's demenor changed right away. "Oh, I'm sorry sir. I'm new here." Tails shook his head. "No problem, your just doing your job." The gurilla unclipped the front rope to allow Tails access to the club. "Correct you are, sir. Good luck!" Tails nodded. "Thank you." He steped forward and went into the club. He went to the band room instead of the main hall, and opened the room. The dressing room was for all the bands and singers to share. It was about half the size of a gym and crowded with people. He walked through the room to a office in the back marked 'Stage Manager'. Tails knocked on the door and was commanded by a curt voice to 'come in!' "Hi, Dave, what's up?" Dave, a feline with white and green dyed fur, looked up from some papers. "You are, right after Griff. You still havn't ran through the new song with the house band yet. What the hell are you going to do!?" Tails shook his head. "It's easy, don't worry." Dave leaned back in his chair. "There's somthing else. You've been looking kinda shaggy. I mean, you look fine now, just the last couple of nights. You sleeping ok?" Tails nodded. "I just kept forgetting to shave, that's all." Dave stood up. "Well, go give the music to the house band and get ready, Griff just went on."  
  
"lightning crashes, a new mother cries; this moment she's been waiting for; the angel opens her eyes; pale blue colored iris, presents the circle; and puts the glory out to hide, hide oh now feel it comin' back again; like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind; forces pullin' from the center of the earth again; I can feel it, I can feel it..." Griff played the last note of his song on the guitar he was holding. The room erupted in clapping. Sally had tears in her eyes. She turned to Sonic. "That was beautiful!" Sonic nodded his head. "Yeah, it was." Griff was about to go backstage when he spotted Sonic and Sally. He went down the stairs and headed over to their table. "Long time, no see!" Sonic stood up and shook Griff's hand. Sally stood and hugged him. "I havn't seen you two in eight years! How have you been?" The waiter came over. "Get me a Jack and Coke, will ya Andy?" Andy nodded. "Sure, Griff. You did great!" Griff turned back on Sonic and Sally. He pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocked and lit it. "Came to see Tails, did ya?" Griff asked, good naturedly. "Wha...What are you talking about?" Sonic asked, confused. "Oh, don't you know? I figured he would have told you by now. He's been performing here every night for the past 2 months." Sonic was about to say something when Dave walked ont onto stage. "Hold on. Here he comes." Andy brought Griff's drink over just as Dave began to speak. "For the past 2 months, a young man has performed here almost every night. He has written several new songs in his time here, two which will be released on a single by King Records at the end of this month. He has written a new song, and this is going to be the first time this song will be performed in public. Ladies and Gentlemen, you are in for a treat. Let's give it up for Tail's Prowler and the House Band!" Applause rippled through the crowd as the lights dimmed and the curtains spread apart when Dave walked off stage. Behind the curtain's stood Tails, holding a electric guitar, and behind him was a Bass Guitar player, a Turntable setup, and a Drummer. Tails checked his instrament, then went to the mike. "This song is one I wrote yesterday. It's called "Sleep Now In The Fire"." Tails waited a few more seconds, than began playing. Ten seconds later, the drummer came in. Six seconds later, Tails yelled. "Yeah!" Then everyone came in, the Bass holding the foundation of the sound, everyone else jumping back and fourth over the timing of the Bass guitar. Then Tails started to sing.  
  
The world is my expense  
  
The cost of my desire  
  
Jesus blessed me with its future  
  
And I protect it with fire  
  
So raise your fists  
  
And march around  
  
Just dont take what you need  
  
Ill jail and bury those committed  
  
And smother the rest in greed  
  
Crawl with me into tomorrow  
  
Or Ill drag you to your grave  
  
I'm deep inside your children  
  
They'll betray you in my name  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
The lie is my expense  
  
The scope of my desire  
  
The party blessed me with its future  
  
And I protect it with fire  
  
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria  
  
The noose and the rapist  
  
The fields overseer  
  
The agents of orange  
  
The priests of Hiroshima  
  
The cost of my desire  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
Then the drummer was singled out, with only the lead electric with him.  
  
For its the end of history  
  
Its caged and frozen still  
  
There is no other pill to take  
  
So swallow the one  
  
That made you ill  
  
Everyone came in again.  
  
The Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria  
  
The noose and the rapist  
  
The fields overseer  
  
The agents of orange  
  
The priests of Hiroshima  
  
The cost of my desire  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
Everyone was going back to the begining, repeating. Tails yelled again, and continued to say the chorus.  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
Sleep now in the fire  
  
Sleep now in the fire!  
  
Sleep now in the fire!  
  
The song ended and the room erupted in cheering. Sally and Sonic just stared up at Tails, who was cheering and exchanging high-fives with the rest of the house band. "Hey Tails!" Griff shouted at Tails. "Griff, no!" Sonic said to the goat, but it was too late. Tails looked over to where he had heard the voice. He spotted Griff and a second later, Sonic and Sally. The smile he had left his face, replaced with a serious look. He said something to the bass player, who nodded. Tails walked off the stage and went to the bar. He said something to the bartender, who nodded. He walked over to Sonic and Sally's table and sat down. He waited a few seconds and broke the silence. "Well, I think I own you two a explanation." Sonic nodded his head. "That would be nice." Sally said.  
  
End of Part 1  
  
AN: I got block on The Robotnik Complex so I decided to do a few side projects to keep me busy. This is one of them. What I am planning to do is take the young characters and display them in a situation of teenage rebellion. Hey, I tried! What do you think? Should I continue? Tell me in the reviews! Thanks for reading! 


	2. Tails: Part Two

Youth of a Nation  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Tails sat at the table across from a shocked Sonic and a Poker-faced Sally. The bartender brought over a bottle of water for Tails and left. Tails pulled a pack of Marlboro Menthol and a lighter out of his shirt pocket, pulled one out of the pack, and lit it with his zippo. He offered one to Sonic who took one and lit it with a pack of matches that was laying on the table. Sonic took a hit and sat it down in the table's ashtray, slowly exhailing through his nose. Sally spoke. "What's this all about, Tails. Why are you swooping down to the level of a cheap street musician? You know that you could have been anything with your mechanical and computer skills. Yet you let your grades drop, you become distant, you hardly ever talk to anyone from Knothole anymore. Why are you just throwing away your life, for this!" She said the last word with such contempt Tails shuddered. "Sally, I've been signed to a major record label. I have an advance from the company for a quarter-million. I get another $500,000 after recording. This," He jestures with his hands all around him. "This is my future." Sonic shook his head. "And what are you going to do with all that money, Tails? Blow it on drugs, booze, hookers, cigarettes? What future do you have now?" Tails reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "You remember Brian, right? That human that helped us in the last year of the great war?" They all nodded their heads. "Yeah, so?" Sonic asked. "After the great war ended, he went to Downunda and started Space AeroNav Incorporated, you know, the company that designs and builds fighter craft and spacecraft. The stock just keeps going up and up so," He handed the piece of paper to Sally. "I invested all the money. From this mornings figures, I'm now rich." Sally looked down to the little piece of paper and read it out loud." Estimated earnings as of 11:51 AM:" She looked up at Sonic. "1.0125 Million Dollars." They both stared as Tails for a minute. Sally leaned toward Sonic. "That's 1/1000 of what's in the royal vault. That's not a easy thing to do." Sonic smiled. "For him it was. Come on Sal, he seems responsible and he is 18. Let's see what he can do in the real world." Sally nodded her head slowly and sat back up. "OK, Tails. I think you've thought this through long enough. We're amazed at how well you've done in such a short period of time. We're very proud of you." Tails smiled. "Thank you." Suddenly, the rom went earthly quiet around them. "What the hell..." Tails said as he turned around. And he spotted the reason for the unearthly silence. Brian had just walked in. The only overlander allowed inside the city gates. He was dressed in black silk dress shirt, black dress pants, a black silk tie, black leather shoes, and a black leather jacket. He walked up to the bartender and asked him a question. He ignored the shocked silence because he was use to it. The bartender pointed toward Tails' table. He walked over to the table. "Hello, everyone. I have two more places to be in the city before 9 AM so I have to be brief." He pulled a paper bag wrapped in plastic out of his pocket and gave it to Tails. "There was a accident. Two people were killed on Alpha station 3 hours ago. When the stock market opens in the morning, prices are certain to sink faster than a chunk of metal. You helped me out when I needed it, so I feel I should return the favor. There is only $750,000 cash in the bag, but if you sell your stock in the morning, it should come damn close to your total earnings. I'll fiddle with the paperwork and make everything look nice. If anyone does trace it, I'll take the blame. Good luck." Brian stood up and began to walk away. Tails grabbed his arm. "Wait, Brian. You look like you could use a drink." Brian thought it over for a minute. "Yeah, I think your right." Brian pulled up a chair and sat at their table. The bartender came over. "What would you like sir?" Brian thought for a minute. "I'll have a triple shot of Bacardi 151." The bartender walked away. Sonic, Sally, Griff, and Tails stared at him. His drink arrived, he downed it and ordered another. "What happened to the station?" Tails asked after snapping out of his daze. " The entire station's structural stress level is compromised. Theirs no one on board, but it can't be repaired. We have to deorbit it, bring it down into the ocean. After the explosion, it's orbit was compromized, but we used the corridor alignment jets to stabilize the orbit, for now." His drink arrived and he drank it slowly. He continued. "Two people are dead, 100 are in critical condition." Sally spoke up. "What caused the explosion?" Brian finished his drink and ordered an expresso. "The reactor core's safety systems all failed. They saw the emergency right away and ejected the core. It was a few hundred meters away from the station when it exploded. They didn't move the station far enough away. The comlink to the bridge was malfunctioning, so someone had to run up to the bridge and tell them." Brian tossed a $20 onto the table and stood up. "I'll see you all later. I have work to do." Brian walked out before anyone could stop him. They all looked after him, knowing that his life had changed forever. "Godspeed, Brian." Tails whispered under his breath. They sat their for a moment before Sonic sat up rigid in his seat. "Sally! Chuck was on station Alpha!" Sally's mouth hung open. "Oh,god! We have to find out whats going on. Come on, Sonic!" She grabbed his arm and drug him out of the club. Tails and Griff sat alone at the table for a moment. Griff looked at Tails suddenly. "You carrying?" Tails nodded. "Wanna burn one?" Tails looked up. "Right now?" Griff shook his head. "No, on the way to Knothole. I have my car with me. Wanna come?" Tails nodded his head. "Sure, I'll be right out. Let me grab my keys and my Guitar." Griff nodded. "OK, I'll be out back in the car." Tails nodded and got up. He walked back and got his things. He and Griff got into his car and started down the highway. "Stop at a drivethru on the way." Griff complied, pulling into the Beer Dock Quick Stop. "Can I help you?" Tails spoke up. "Yeah, let me get a 1/5 of Bacardi Silver, 2 40oz. of Steel Reserve, quart of Absolut Vodka, a quart of any Rum, a sixer of Bud light, and a carton of Kool." Tails handed the man his Debit card, and a few minutes later the man was passing the items through the window to Griff, who handed them to Tails, who put them in the back seat. "Thanks." was all Griff said, and they drove off into the night. Griff pulled into a city exit lane, and after a few minutes wait, they were driving out of the city. Griff and Tails both knew the way by heart, as they made the visit to Knothole often together when they needed a break. They would load up on booze, cigarettes, and pot, and travel to the now-defunct Knothole. Tails still had the keys for his hut, so they could spend the night their. A few minutes later, after moving everything inside and starting a fire, they were both sitting inside the hut, in front of the fire, drinking beer, listening to the CD player they brought with them, and smoking a bowl of primo weed. After finishing the beer and cashing the bowl, Tails sat back and light a cigarette. He smiled. "Ya know what Griff?" Griff light a cigarette and looked at Tails. "What?" Tails closed his eyes and blew a smoke ring out of his mouth. "This is life, and I love it."  
  
The End of the Tails Section  
  
Next: Amy and her Drug addiction  
  
A/N: Like it? Hate it? Tell me! 


	3. Amy: Part One

Youth of a Nation Chapter 3 Amy - Part 1  
  
I wish I was..Too dead to cry  
  
The self-affliction fades  
  
  
  
Amy lay on her bed, weeping softly. She gazed at the ceiling, beyond the ceiling, into heaven itself. The drug, speed, was beginning to take effect. Her mood was beginning to pick up, along with her pulse. "Good," she said to herself, as there was no one else in her apartment. Her parents were away on a trip to some god-forsaken location, and she wanted to be alone. She was beginning to feel slightly hazy now, she was full of energy, and she had nothing to do. So she swallowed a small white tablet. It was MDMA. As she waited for the pickup she knew would soon come, she jumped up, literely, and turned her CD player on. Techno began to pump out, and as she needed to do something, she jumped on her treadmill and began to run. She picked up her pace, the readout slowly creeping up as she increased her speed slowly. Tails... The readout maxed out at 40 MPH, and tears streamed down her face as she mentally clashed with herself. Why... Why did... Why did you abandon... "ME!!!" She screached as she jumped off the treadmill, still running, and began to tear apart her room. Her fist's slammed into a mirror, sending bloody shards everywhere. Blood soaked into her white carpet as she spun, grabbed her computer and tossed it out the window like a loaf of bread. Shouts of protest came from the sidewalk below. "Fuck You!" She screamed as she leaned out the window, impaling her hand on a shard of glass, throwing herself into a reborn fury. She pulled herself back into her room and began destroying her bookcase with her bare hands.  
  
Stones to throw at my creator  
  
Masochist to which I cater  
  
You don't need to bother  
  
I don't need to breathe  
  
I'll keep slipping farther  
  
But once I'm done  
  
I won't let go till it bleeds  
  
She drove her balled fist, now covered with blood, through all three shelvs at once. She took her other hand and began punching as hard as she could. She pulled out her other hand and began doing the same. She stopped suddenly and stared at the now destroyed room. She stood in that trance- like state for a few minutes, then opened her dresser with her less injured hand and took out a pill bottle. She opened the bottle, marked 'cocaine' and shook a little of the fine powder ont onto the surface of the dresser. She pulled out her ID card and shapped the pouder into a line. She pulled a small, cut straw out of her pocket and snorted the line. After putting all of the things away, she grabbed her keys and headed out to the garage.  
  
I wish I was  
  
Too dead to care  
  
If indeed I cared at all  
  
Never had a voice to protest  
  
So you fed me shit to digest  
  
I wish I had a reason  
  
My flaws are open seasoned  
  
For this I gave up trying  
  
One good time deserves my dying  
  
After swiping her ID card at the exit station, she entered the great forest. Her body was a biochemical mess, her nervous system was malfunctioning in the presense of all the drugs she took, but she was determined. 'I have...I have to get to Knothole...' She thought as a wave of shivers overwhelmed her and the car swerved over the road before she gained control. It took another 20 minutes, but she finally made Knothole. She drove by Griff's car without taking notice, but Tails and Griff heard the engine noise. "What was that?" Griff asked Tails. Tails just shrugged as he hit the bowl and passed it to Griff. "I don't know, but you want to check it out?" Tails asked, his voice hinting that he wanted to go. Griff just shrugged in reply. "It dosn't really matter to me." Griff said. They both lit cigarettes and walked out into the col night air. They heared in the direction they heard the car go: toward the ring pond.  
  
I wish I died Instead of lived  
  
A zombie hides my face  
  
Shelf forgotten with it's memories  
  
Dire is left with cryptic entries  
  
Amy put the car into park at the edge of the pond, and layed her head against the cool wheel. She was trembling worse then before, and her heard thumped wildly. Amiss all of this, she was able to grasp one cohearent thought. "Too many bad drugs, all these years" She whispered, her eyes watering again as a sharp pain shot through her chest. She slowly climbed out of the car and crawled toward the ring pond. She collasped by the edge. Tails and Griff came up behind her just as she rolled in. Griff turned his flashlight on and recognized Amy immediately. "Tails, Is she dead?" Griff asked, a little fear creeping into the edge on his voice. Tails quickly out of the water and took her pulse. "No, but it dosn't look good." he raised one of her eyelids and examed her pupil. "It looks like she's in shock and going into cardiac arrest. I think she's high as a kite!" Griff pulled a hypodermic needle out of his shirt pocket and went over and crouched down nexed to Amy. "What's that?" Tails asked. "A neuro-stabilizer. It's made to bring anyone, no matter what they took, out of a OD, bad trip, etc. I've never tried it before, though..." "Well, now's your chance..." Griff took off the protective cap and slid the needle into Amy arm, injecting the drug. "Let's get her back into the hut by the fire. It's getting cold out here." Tails nodded, picking Amy up and heading back to there hut.  
  
And you don't need to bother  
  
I don't need to be  
  
I'll keep slipping farther  
  
But once I'm gone  
  
I'll never live down my disease 


	4. Amy: Part Two

Youth of a Nation

Chapter 4

Amy's Adventure

Amy felt herself floating. She felt more relaxed then she had in a long time. She opened her eyes and found herself adrift in a blue…something. It felt similar to water on her skin, but she didn't feel wet. There was a gentle light all around her, and she knew she was dead. But she felt more alive then she had in a long time.

"My heart doesn't hurt anymore…I'm free of the drugs, that's what's different!" She spun in the ether ecstatically.

-----

Tails held Amy's head in his arms at they sat her down on the floor of his old hut.

"Griff, is she going to be alright?"

Griff just shrugged. "I dunno. The drug should be taking effect now. It's going to overload her brain so that the drugs she had in her system won't work anymore."

Tails leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Amy's forehead. It was then that he saw her hands.

"Jesus, Griff. Look at her hands…" The goat looked at the ragged pieces of flesh hanging from Amy's fingers. The blood had caked into a sort of bandage, but there were pieces of glass all throughout her fingers. Skin had been stripped away from her hand in several places, and there was glass inside of her hand.

"I'll go get the first aid kit, ok?" Griff stood up and walked out of the cabin.

"Don't worry Ames." Tails said softly into her ear. "We'll get you fixed up."

-----

Amy closed her eyes again and began to hum to herself. "This is a kinda weird afterlife. I mean, I feel great. But, there's really nothing here…Tails?" For a split second, she swore that she heard his voice.

-----

Tails placed Amy's right hand into the wash basin and poured the water Griff had heated up over the injured extremities. He began the tedious process of picking out all of the glass and reopening the scabs so that they could be cleaned out. Several times he pulled her hand out and poured peroxide and alcohol over it, and then Griff dumped the old bloody water and returned with fresh.

Once the right hand was cleaned as best as he could get it, Tails covered the entire thing with antibiotic gel and bandaged it up. Then he started on the left.

-----

Amy began to feel tired. She closed her eyes and the blue void went away. Her last thought was, 'Am I dying again?'

-----

"Why in the hell would she do this to herself?" Griff asked, returning once more to Tails with a fresh basin of water. He went over by the window and lit a cigarette while Tails continued his tender work.

"I don't know, but you'll have the chance to ask her yourself in a few minutes. She's starting to come around." Tails covered the left hand with the gel, and then set her broken middle finger as best he could. He was finishing wrapping it up when Amy's eyes flickered open.

"Tails?" She croaked in surprise when she saw the fox hovering over her.

"Hey Ames. Why did you do a stupid thing like this?" The fox said in a playful tone. His words however caused her to cast her eyes downward and begin sobbing.

"I missed you! You left me hanging! I thought we had something together, but you stopped coming around. I tried calling you, but you never returned my calls. So I started doing drugs heavier and heavier. Then tonight, I heard about your record deal on the news, and I…I just snapped."

Tails shook his head. "Amy, I do care about you. I've just been trying to push this record deal through so I'd have some time to be with you. I've been staying up till three in the morning with record executives and industry contacts trying to make something happen."

"But if you really cared, you would have found time."

Tails face faltered. "Maybe your right. Maybe I didn't care as much as I should have. But I love you Amy. And I care about you now."

Amy looked at him sourly. She sat up woozily. "Don't throw words like that around Tails."

Tails gave her a gaze that would have pierced an iron heart. Luckily, he was only dealing with a pink hedgehog's heart. "I'm not, Ames. I love you…Let me take you home."

Griff spoke up. "I'll just chill here tonight, Tails. You have more important things to do."

Tails looked back to Amy. "Will you let me take you home?"

Amy didn't say anything, she just started sobbing again. Tails helped her stand up and then slung his arms under her. He helped her get into the passenger side of her car.

Walking around, Tails looked at Griff again. "Things are going to start changing now, aren't they?"

Griff smiled and shook his head. "Things change all the time. People's hearts are the only things that remain static. Take care of her, Tails."

Tails got behind the wheel and drove off.

Back inside the hut, Griff rolled a joint and began to smoke it. He walked outside and began to wonder a little bit into the forest.

"Many of the city dwellers would be afraid to go into the forest at night. They've forgotten the serenity and peace of the Great Forest."

Griff's thoughts were interrupted suddenly. He saw the glow of a campfire in the distance.

"Who the hell would be out here? No one else comes out here anymore…"

Feeling the need to sate his curiosity, he began to walk towards the campfire.

AN: Sorry about not updating for such a long time. I just forgot that I write sins and not tragedies, lol. Stay tuned for the final chapter of Youth of a Nation!


	5. Unexpected Campfire

Youth of a Nation

Chapter 5

Antoine's Dilemma

Griff walked slowly up to the dying fire and the person staring into the dying embers. The brown fox looked up and Griff immediately recognized the face. He stood stunned or a moment and spoke.

"Antoine?"

Antoine grabbed a long stick and stirred the fire. The flames shot up and Griff saw that the man was dressed in full military uniform.

"What's going on Griff. I haven't seen you in a while. Still living in Lower Mobius?

"Naa, I decided to relocate to Mobo city. Figured I had enough of the small town life…you know, the kind that'll get you slaughtered by an evil dictator?

Antoine chuckled. "Why don't you have a seat? Wanna cup of coffee?"

"Sure."

Griff sat down on the ground and accepted the cup from Antoine.

"So what are you doing here?" Griff asked eagerly after sipping his fine mocha joe. (Oh yeah)

Antoine rolled his head and laughed a bit more. "Well, I guess I'll tell you the truth, but do you think you could handle it?"

Griff smiled, now intrigued. "Try me."

Antoine glanced up for a moment, then locked eyes with Griff. "I have the next three days off from the Academy, and I was supposed to me my lover out here for…camping."

Griff looked nonplused. "So? That's fine. What's her name?"

Antoine got a big grin on his face. "His name is Andrew."

Griff looked nonplused for a moment longer, then he slowly blinked. Once. Then he shrugged.

"So? You should be with whoever makes you happy. Isn't that why we fought for all those years?"

Antoine smiled, and for a moment Griff saw the god of Wisdom on his face. "Wonderful ideals, but from experiences I've had, unrealistic under almost all circumstances."

Griff signed, knowing that he was right. He was a member of a Mobian subrace that was prone toward aggression.

"Well, Antoine. You could do what I do."

"What's that?"

Griff light the doobie that he was holding. Puffing on it, taking a few tokes, he held it out for Antoine.

"Self medicate."

Antoine looked straight-laced as he accepted the joint. He looked Antoine dead in the eye. "I'm an instructor at the Naval Accademy. If I get caught with this, my career is over."

Antoine then proceeded to take the biggest toke Griff had ever seen.

"Then again, I'm gay in the military."

Griff fell backwards groaning. "Great.

"What's that?"

"I just figured out why your still in uniform."

"Yeah?"

"Andrew has a couple of…fantasies, doesn't he?

"Oh yeah."

The End

AN: Well, that was certainly a long time coming wasn't it? I'm so sorry, but I had block on this one for so long…her name was Paisley lol. Sadly, I'm not sure I'm joking…anyway. Up next for you Sonic fanfiction nuts is "Road to Lost Withiel" and my new venture into the Evangelion fanverse, "NGE : Project E Rebirth. Check it out, it's pimp shit. I promise.

BB


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